Li Jun was almost at a loss for words: "Do you think we can come back alive? Especially the two of you." He pointed at Mo Rong and Tu Long Ziyun, "I'm a mercenary. Let me make this clear from the start: I didn't take a deposit for this deal, so I can cancel it at any time. I won't care whether you live or die when things get dangerous."
"Hmph!" Lei Hun's snort was full of disdain. "We never expected anything from you. We only hired you to make up the four people required for the competition."
Li Jun jumped up abruptly, his hand gripping the short sword at his waist, his cold gaze filled with murderous intent as he stared at Lei Hun: "Is that so?"
“That’s how it is.” Lei Hun’s half-dead appearance made Li Jun hesitate. From the first moment he saw this strange scholar, Li Jun could sense that he had a strange power. Even his short breaths seemed to have an evil aura flowing through them—Li Jun then thought of the two strange tattoos on his chest.
“I can terminate our agreement right now.” Li Jun tried to control his breathing, which became rapid under the scholar’s strange gaze.
“You won’t.” Lei Hun stared at the young mercenary. The mercenary’s strong will to fight back forced him to concentrate as well, silently reciting the “Fighting Spirit Mantra” to strengthen his momentum. Lei Hun knew the mercenary was getting serious. As long as Li Jun officially terminated the agreement, it would mean that the mercenary rule of “mercenaries must not turn against their employers” would no longer be binding on him.
Mo Rong watched the mental battle between the two with worry. Like Tu Long Ziyun, she was helpless to prevent the impending conflict between them. Li Jun then slowly said, "I need to see the deposit before I can decide whether it's worth taking this risk."
Mo Rong and Tu Long Ziyun both breathed a sigh of relief. Lei Hun knew he had the upper hand mentally, but he didn't want to completely defeat Li Jun. The light in his eyes dimmed—when that strange light was gone from his eyes, he gave off a morbid beauty. He said, "I already know your strength. Your specialty is indeed killing."
Li Jun understood that he was referring to the killing intent he had just displayed. Li Jun's killing intent was a spiritual power he had developed without a teacher during his mercenary career. It was similar to the mental magic used by Confucian sorcerers, and it didn't require reciting any incantations. People with weak mental strength could easily succumb to his killing intent. Without waiting for his reply, Lei Hun Shuang said, "Although you are exceptionally talented and have learned many practical killing techniques, I'm afraid you haven't systematically studied true martial arts."
If Li Jun was initially displeased by his inability to mentally overpower Lei Hun, he now felt a chilling fear, as if he had been stripped naked. In just a brief mental exchange, Lei Hun had seen through his true strength; this scholar was more than just strange. Determined to regain some momentum, Li Jun said, "So what if I am?"
“I can teach you the true way of martial arts, not just the skills of killing,” Lei Hun said weakly. Li Jun noticed that he closed his eyes at this moment, as if he was recalling something.
"Study with you?" Li Jun asked.
“It’s not that they learned from me, but from others.” Lei Hun opened his eyes again. “You’re also from the Soviet Union, aren’t you?”
Feeling a little uncomfortable with his abrupt questioning, Li Jun paused before saying, "Yes, why?"
“Then you must know Marshal Lu… I can recommend you to meet him.”
"Marshal Lu!" Li Junxin jumped up, and Tu Longziyun couldn't help but interject, "Marshal Lu... Lu Wudi?"
"Are there any other Marshal Lus?" Lei Hun closed his eyes again and said one last time, "Get some rest, we'll talk about it when we get to Jiaolong Island."
After realizing that this strange Confucian scholar truly possessed immense power, Li Jun began to believe his promise. This belief stemmed less from the young man's desire to increase his own strength and more from a sense of destiny, what the three religions called fate. It was this step that led the young man, whose ambition had just been ignited, onto a path that would stir up a storm throughout the entire Divine Continent.
Early the next morning, the large ship, laden with gamblers and watchers, sailed away from Haiping Port. The ship was so large that Li Jun, who had never sailed at sea before, was amazed. But he soon suffered the consequences, contracting seasickness, an incurable ailment almost all first-time seafarers experience.
To prevent fights from breaking out before the competition officially began, the organizers of the gambling game kept the participants far apart. Therefore, even though Li Jun was vomiting profusely in his cabin, it didn't disturb the others. Tu Long Ziyun seemed unaffected. He noticed that Lei Hun's face looked even worse than usual and couldn't help but stick out his tongue. Mo Rong, on the other hand, who had never seen the sea before, appeared completely unfazed.
"You're still the best, sister." Tu Long Ziyun called Mo Rong "sister" without caring whether she was actually older than him. "These two men are not as good as you, sister."
Turning her gaze to Tu Long Ziyun, Mo Rong forced a smile, her lips moving slightly. Tu Long Ziyun didn't hear what she said, so he leaned closer and asked loudly, "Sister, what did you say?"
Mo Rong opened her mouth and vomited with a "whoosh." Tu Long Ziyun was too close, and although he avoided her head and face, his clothes were still stained with vomit. After vomiting to her heart's content, Mo Rong gasped and said, "I said... I can't take it anymore either..."
While brushing himself off with paper, Tu Longziyun looked suspiciously at the two vomiting in turn, then glanced at Lei Hun, who was leaning against the ship's wall with a face as white as paper. He began to regret his bet. It would be a miracle if this combination could even reach Jiaolong Island alive, let alone come back alive.
"I hope there's nothing more terrifying than the journey by boat on that island," Li Jun said weakly, having vomited up everything he could, not even stomach acid. But what kind of adventure awaits this group of people on this island that has already claimed countless gamblers' lives? And what are the reasons that Lei Hun, Mo Rong, and Tu Long Zi Yun have embarked on this perilous adventure?
Perhaps the only thing left is to pray for the blessings of the gods.
Section 3
"Everyone may disembark now."
The participating teams were transported to Jiaolong Island in small boats according to their assigned numbers, with each team choosing their landing location voluntarily. The competition officially began upon arrival, and for survival, the participants were forced to kill each other and steal food from others. What drove them to such frenzy was the allure of the prize money.
As soon as he stepped onto land, Li Jun felt much better. This landing point was chosen by Tu Longziyun, and among the four, he was the only one who was familiar with the sea. They were the last group to land. After the small boat that took them back to the large ship, Li Jun suddenly felt a strong fluctuation, an instinctive sense of danger that he had developed on the battlefield.
"Hmph!" Lei Hun narrowed his eyes, staring at the direction the large ship had disappeared in. "They used a forbidden spell... They're afraid someone might use the Five Elements Escape Technique to leave this island, aren't they?"
Tu Longziyun began to carefully examine the island, while Mo Rong, who had been cooped up in the cabin, began to regain her energy. She looked at the plants on the island with curiosity and exclaimed in surprise, "These trees are so strange. They are different from the trees in our Yue Renling."
Li Jun warily surveyed the dense jungle. About three hundred feet from the shallow water where they stood, the area was completely covered by these strangely shaped plants. The towering trunks and broad leaves completely obscured their view; traversing such a jungle would certainly mean never seeing the sun.
There was no sun to be seen. A few raindrops began to fall, and thick moisture rose from the dense forest. The sky had been covered by low clouds, and the four realized that a heavy rain was imminent.
“Let’s go into the woods; we can take shelter from the rain there,” Mo Rong suggested, drawing on her experience living in the mountains.
“No, this is too dangerous. Don’t forget, we have no idea where the other groups are. They could assassinate us at any time under the cover of the dense forest.” Li Jun calmly assessed the situation. “Right now, this is actually the safest place. Anyone who wants to attack us must come into our line of sight.”
“It’s not safe here either,” Tu Longziyun said with a smile. “According to my judgment, the tide is rising, and soon the entire shallows will be submerged.”
The three of them turned their gaze to Lei Hun, the scholar who had summoned them. He was staring at the mountain peaks on the island shrouded in mist and clouds, his eyes gleaming with longing and fervor. It was the first time any of them had ever seen him so openly express his emotions, and they were momentarily taken aback.
"Go!" Lei Hun gave the sharp order and led the way into the jungle. Li Jun glanced at the shield that Tu Long Zi Yun was carrying and said, "You cover the rear, Mo Rong in the middle." He then hurriedly followed beside Lei Hun. The short sword was already in his hand. At this moment, he desperately wanted a Qiang man like Lu Ge to cover Lei Hun, rather than himself, who was more skilled in attack techniques.
Knowing that the most experienced of the four was probably the baby-faced young mercenary, Tu Longziyun reluctantly accepted Li Jun's orders. Using his shield to conceal himself, he walked at the rear of the group.
There were no paths in the jungle, only enormous trees, some so large that several people could barely encircle them, their bases covered by shady ferns and bushes. Just as the four figures disappeared into the jungle, a rumble of thunder sounded in the sky. Looking up, they saw only a canopy of leaves that blocked out the sun. But the rustling sound overhead told them that rain had begun.
Lei Hun led the three forward for a while, by which time the rain had soaked them through the branches and leaves. The light was also getting dimmer, and Lei Hun realized that it was time to find a place to rest.
"Let's stop here and rest until the rain stops," Lei Hun said.
A strong sense of unease rose in Li Jun's heart. From the moment he entered the forest, he felt as if someone was watching them. Along the way, he had thought of various ways to deal with these followers, but he simply did not have the time.
The other party isn't in a hurry to follow them. In this jungle, it's easy to catch up as long as you find the right tracks. The key now is when the other party will choose to strike.
"I'll set a few traps." Li Jun gestured for Tu Long Ziyun to help him, but Tu Long Ziyun didn't move. Instead, Mo Rong jumped up when she heard the word "traps".
"Is it a trap? I've been wanting to know what kind of traps you ordinary people can set up. Teach me!" she asked as she followed Li Jun back the way they came. She hopped and skipped as she walked to avoid the tree roots and bushes under her feet, which made Tu Longziyun smile.
“I almost forgot, you’re from Yue, and traps are your forte.” Li Jun was a little embarrassed. Although he had learned some methods of setting up ambushes from the mercenaries, they were all very simple, and of course he wouldn’t dare to show off in front of a Yue person.
"I am Dongyue, not Shuyue." Mo Rong corrected Li Jun's misunderstanding with some dissatisfaction. To the Yue people, mistaking Dongyue for Shuyue, or vice versa, was even more ridiculous than mistaking them for Qiang people. Although these two outwardly similar races were both Yue people and both acknowledged that their ancestors were related by blood, the long-standing differences in their lifestyles had created an irreparable rift between them.